Eight years ago, I had just completed my Master’s degree in counseling; started a great job working as a career coach with local high school students under a Christian boss who supported my conservative values. My two daughters were 1 and 3, my husband, Kenny, worked full-time at the U.S. Post Office in our town and had just surrendered to the call to preach. We had a nice house in a neighborhood with lots of kids and other families our age. Our family joined a Baptist church with conservative, biblical teaching that had lots of great programs for our kids, even its own private school, and a place for my husband to receive the mentoring he needed as he answered God’s call on his life. Everything was fitting into place.

Then Kenny said, “I think we should homeschool.”

I was a relatively new Christian. My mother raised me with Christian teaching, but I never clearly understood my need for a Savior and the role of repentance until just before my 31st birthday (I’ll tackle my testimony in a future post). Things were changing fast. I had just gotten used to the idea that I would be a pastor’s wife, now Kenny and I were talking about homeschooling??? In the meantime, I read up on how to be a Christian wife, learning more about biblical submission and following my husband’s leadership. This was my first test.

In June 2006, I gave my final notice at my job and, for the first time as a wife and mother, began to stay at home full time.

Over the summer of 2006, we were also introduced to all-natural eating and the physical and mental benefits of doing so. We had suspected for some time that our oldest daughter’s behavioral issues were more than just normal, childhood antics. As a trained counselor, I knew the qualifying symptoms of ADHD and unofficially diagnosed her as such. We knew we did not want to medicate our daughter, so we turned to alternative methods of treatment – beginning with diet and supplements.

I started removing all the artificial ingredients from our home, reading labels more thoroughly while shopping and learning how to find the best deals on foods that fit our new lifestyle. What began for my daughter’s sake, in the end, has made us all healthier and more conscious of what we put into our bodies. I am ever thankful for how the Lord revealed to us how He created healthy bodies to be and how it frees us from many worldly chains, such as repeated doctor’s visits and prescription medications.

In the span of a year, we became a healthy, homeschooling, pastor’s family.